Music Mania Festival in San Jose Reimagined as Free One-Day Event with Shaq

San Jose’s Music Mania festival, originally planned to coincide with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Sweet 16, has been scaled back to a free, one-day event, city officials announced. The festival, headlined by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, will now take place on March 27th.

From Three-Day Series to Free Concert

The event was initially slated to run from March 27th to 29th at the SoFa Lot at 350 S. First St. In San Jose. However, after being listed as canceled on its ticketing website, the festival is being “reimagined and rescheduled as a free one-day demonstrate so anyone, regardless of income, can be a part of the event,” according to a statement from the office of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan [East Bay Times].

Shaq Still Set to Perform

Shaquille O’Neal is still expected to perform at the reimagined event, performing a dance music set under his DJ name, DJ Diesel. The one-day festival falls between the two days of NCAA men’s basketball games being held at SAP Center on March 26th and 28th [The Derrick].

Original Lineup in Question

The original lineup also included pop star Bebe Rexha and country music artist Dustin Lynch, scheduled to perform on March 28th and 29th, respectively. It remains unclear whether these artists will participate in the revised one-day event [East Bay Times].

Second Bay Area Appearance for Shaq This Year

This event will mark O’Neal’s second Bay Area appearance this year, following a Super Bowl party he hosted in San Francisco in early February [East Bay Times]. He also performed at the 2023 Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco [Yahoo Entertainment].

Updated timing, location, and the full lineup for the novel Music Mania event have yet to be announced.